Richard Johnson joined Torpedo Factory Art Center staff as gift shop manager with the City of Alexandria’s Department of General Service in 1999. While the City of Alexandria has owned the building since then, it was previously managed by a nonprofit called the Torpedo Factory Art Center Board. There was also another range of sheds to the W. These 2 buildings are therefore the last surviving examples of a much larger group and are of great historical importance as they formed one of the main centres Torpedo manufacture and development before and during both World Wars. The quality of their products is excellent.’, Agatha Kalisperas, Director at The Hellenic Centre, Please enable your javascript for an optimal viewing experience, Our friendly staff are on hand to help discuss your requirements. YES, the Torpedo Factory Art Center once was an actual torpedo factory! The U.S. In 1969, the City of Alexandria bought the buildings from the Federal Government for $1.6 million. (The silver torpedo by the Riverfront Entrance is a Mark III, but it was not manufactured in Alexandria.). The Torpedo Factory Art Center was an actual torpedo factory. Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest. Torpedo Factory celebrates 100 years as building, 45 years as art center. After World War II it was used for Federal records storage. The building was renovated in 1982 and 1983. Send an email to [email protected] and Art Center staff will do some research to make connections where possible. The Torpedo Factory Art Center is a working example of how the arts can revitalize a community and serves as a prototype for visual arts facilities throughout the world . The City of Alexandria hired Van Landingham to be the first director. Consultation closes at 5pm on Friday 11 December 2020. With the onset of World War II, the factory produced Mark III torpedoes for aircraft and Mark XIV torpedoes for submarines. Find hours, directions, parking information and more. He started his working career helping in a family grocery store and ice cream shop and went on to … 5. The Torpedo Factory Group launched in London in 1960 when we opened the doors of a glamorous shop at 45 High Street Kensington in London. Over the last 6 decades we’ve grown through word of mouth and acquisitions, including: From its early days as a munitions factory during WWI and WWII, to its transformation into an art center in the 1970s, the building is a prominent fixture along the Alexandria waterfront and draws approximately 500,000 visitors in most years. Its got three levels where you can wander through and look at paintings, pottery, and other art crafts - with most of them available for purchase. It stored congressional documents, dinosaur bones, German war films and Nuremberg War Crimes trial records. YES, the Torpedo Factory Art Center once was an actual torpedo factory! The Argyll Motor Works, currently known as Lomond Galleries, is a former car factory in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland.It was opened in 1906 by Argyll Motors Ltd, at the time the largest producer of cars in Scotland.After the Argyll company folded it was used as a torpedo factory, subsequently lying empty for many years, and is now a shopping centre. A Brush with History: The Torpedo Factory Art Center from Istrico Productions on Vimeo. THE U.S. NAVY TORPEDO FACTORY About 1906, Admiral N. E. Mason, then Chief of BuOrd, requested an appropriation of $500,000 from Congress of which $150,000 was for the purpose of establishing a U.S. Navy Torpedo Factory at Newport, R.I. © 2018 Torpedo Factory Group. He believed in the promise of the Art Center and was a fixture from its earliest days, spending hours volunteering and worked part-time starting in the 1980s. Torpedo Factory Art Center has had a long and distinguished history culminating in the 70s and 80s as a model for placemaking and unique way for the public to see artists at work. The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria is a visual arts center located in an old Department of Defense munitions facility. This year, the Torpedo Factory celebrates the 100th anniversary of its official opening in 1919 and the 45th anniversary of its designation as an art center in 1974. After the War ended in 1945, the complex briefly manufactured parts for rocket engines before shuttering permanently in 1946. Any third-party trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Over time, the complex grew to 16 buildings and 5,000 employees. [email protected] Had a lovely chat with the artists and store keepers. James W. Coldsmith, editor of the Alexandria Journal and chair of the Alexandria Bicentennial Commission, suggested to The Art League’s President Marian Van Landingham, who was also part of the Commission, that they consider the expansive old torpedo plant for a new location. Northern Virginia Alexandria, VA, USA. Today we have a turnover of almost £10m, with offices in London, Manchester, Oxford and Farnham. The same year our founder Harry Gordon opened the doors to his camera shop in Kensington, a little-known band from Liverpool performed their first concert in Hamburg. Naval Torpedo Station. She pitched the idea as a three-year pilot to Mayor Charles Beatley Jr. and it passed City Council on May 7, 1974. Accounts. History On November 12, 1918, the U.S. Navy began constructing a torpedo factory in Alexandria, named the U.S. Today the Art Center welcomes more than a half million national andinternational visitors each year who visit Alexandria’s waterfront. City workers used fire hoses to power-wash the building’s interior, which had been neglected since 1969. By degrees production was moved to the Alexandria factory which then became RNTF, a process completed by 1947, thus allowing TEE to expand considerably, so that it eventually covered all aspects of torpedo technology, except launching gear. Naval Torpedo Station. After an illustrious history as a pioneer in artist workspace and in using artist spaces as an element in community redevelopment, the Torpedo Factory Art Center finds itself at a juncture in redefining its operating model and examining its role in the community. No capacity limit, but masks are required for admittance and social distancing should be observed for the duration of the visit. TORPEDO FACTORY LTD - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity Work stopped in 1923 and the facility served as a munitions storage area until 1937 when production on the Mark XIV began leading up to WWII.